2004 Toyota Avalon Reviews, Pricing & Specs

some of the dash controls were not well thought out. however that can be a personal issue rather than a manufactuer fault. thats just one minor reason why i say drive this vehicle for some hours first, before buying. put it through some rugged test driving. dont just think comfort and reliability. get down to some details or after your purchase you will be saying things like " why didnt i notice that before". there can be a blind spot if your mirrors are ill adjusted. fuel econ will be about 20 city, 25 hwy and that may vary 1 or 2 mpgs. all in all if you like camrys, and generally toyotas, you wont be disappointed in this car. finally if you really want more refinement, power, and even fuel economy find a low milage 2005 and try it out. believe me there is a difference in the 04 and 05. sometimes i question why i didnt go for the 05 model instead. money interfered with my decision. but let me tell you a few likes on the 05 avalon. nicer dash layout and interior. way more power and better fuel econ. dual exhaust. some plushier refinements with the seats and trunk. a few other neat power options. my biggest dislike was in the window height profile which made me feel like i was down in a barrel. cant explain it better than that.Jan 01, 2013

Unlike most of the cars I've driven that I've listed, this is one of the few that doesn't come from work. This one is my dad's car. I actually had a choice to gain the keys to this car and I chose not to and instead exclusively drive the Cressida instead. This car just isn't for me, I just don't enjoy driving in this car...I actually enjoy sleeping in it instead. The 3.0L V6 engine this car gets is actually old, the same engine from the 1995 Avalon yet despite being 9 years old by the time of this car its still a good engine. Powerful enough but more importantly very smooth and quiet. When it comes to corners this car's soft suspension fails to impress, its turning radius is also mediocre. Its actually very American...made for straight lines...the Europeans would hate it. Inside the leather is of good quality and the car is relatively well equipped but there's nothing significant or special about it. A lot of the wood grain plastic in this car was very unnecessary, I thought it was overdone. The rest of the plastics are disappointing in quality versus Toyotas from the 80s and early 90s. Whatever chrome pieces it has are of low quality, they peel easily revealing themselves looking rather like iron which is ugly. Build quality is mostly good but some of the fit and finish on this car wasn't consistent ie. some pieces don't lineup like its supposed to. The car has been quite reliable and the engine thanks to valve timing makes it decent with fuel. The main problem with this car is its just not enjoyable to drive. Its the sort of car you want in a taxicab. Spacious, comfortable and quiet. All the items that concern passengers is done well here. The exterior is very American looking from the front. Its clear this car wants to target Buick...I'm not sure why though because that's a niche market. Truly a car for someone 60+ years, if your 40 or younger this car just doesn't suit you.Jan 17, 2009